UPSC NDA 1 Final Result 2026: 617 Selected, Merit List PDF Download Name Wise, Toppers and Next Steps

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) declared the final result of the National Defence Academy and Naval Academy Examination (I), 2026 on 5 November 2026, and 617 candidates have qualified, in order of merit, for admission to the Army, Navy and Air Force wings of the National Defence Academy for the 157th Course and to the 119th Indian Naval Academy Course (INAC). Of the 617 candidates, 551 are in the male merit list and 66 in the female merit list. The UPSC NDA 1 Final Result 2026 is a single official PDF — a name wise merit list carrying the serial number, roll number and name of every qualified candidate — and the direct download link is given in this article, so candidates looking for the NDA result 2026 PDF download do not need any login or password. Two warnings before anything else. First, UPSC has stated that the results of the Medical Examination have NOT been taken into account in preparing this list, so a place in the merit list is provisional and final selection still depends on medical fitness and document verification. Second, selected candidates must send their certificates directly to the Additional DG Recruiting, Army Headquarters, New Delhi — and NOT to UPSC. This guide covers the merit list PDF, how to check the result name wise (including if you have forgotten your roll number), the official toppers, the vacancies, what happens next, and when the marks and cut-off will come. For more declared results, browse the Results section of New Sarkari Results.

UPSC NDA 1 Final Result 2026 – Overview

Vacancies the examination was held for. The examination notice (No. 3/2026-NDA-I) announced approximately 394 vacancies — the notice itself calls them approximate and provisional, liable to change with the training capacity of the academies. The wing-wise break-up from the notice is:

The candidature of all 617 candidates in the merit list is provisional. The merit list has been prepared on the basis of the written examination held on 12 April 2026 and the interviews conducted afterwards by the Services Selection Board (SSB) of the Ministry of Defence — it is not a final appointment list, because medical fitness and certificate verification are still to come, as explained in the What Happens Next section below.

NDA 1 Final Result 2026 Merit List PDF Download

UPSC has published the final result as one official PDF on upsc.gov.in — the final result press note dated 5 November 2026, with the merit list printed inside it. Unlike results that are issued roll-number wise, this list is name wise: every entry carries a serial number, the candidate’s roll number and the candidate’s name, arranged in order of merit. Your position in the list is your merit position.

How the list is arranged. The PDF contains two separate lists. The male merit list runs from S.No. 1 to S.No. 551 and closes with KUNAL DHANDHI (Roll No. 6340718) at position 551. The female merit list follows it, running from S.No. 1 to S.No. 66 and closing with DIMPY (Roll No. 0842888) at position 66, after which the list is marked concluded. Between them, the two lists name all 617 qualified candidates. The PDF contains no marks and no service allotment — it only tells you whether you have qualified and at what merit position.

The press note printed at the start of the same PDF (paragraphs 1 to 6) is part of the result and is worth reading in full: it carries the provisional-candidature rule, the Army Headquarters address for certificates, the marks rule and the helpline numbers, all of which are explained in plain words in this article.

How to Check UPSC NDA 1 Final Result 2026 Name Wise

1. Go to the official website upsc.gov.in.
2. Open “What’s New” on the homepage (or go to Examination → Final Results) and click on the National Defence Academy and Naval Academy Examination (I), 2026 final result notice dated 5 November 2026.
3. Download the official PDF — or use the direct link in the table above.
4. Press Ctrl+F and type your name exactly as spelt in your application. Because the list is name wise, searching by name is the surest check.
5. If your name appears, note your serial number (your merit position) and the roll number printed against it, and save or print the page for future reference.
6. No login, password or application number is needed to open the PDF.

Forgot your roll number? Search by name. This is exactly what a name wise list is for. Open the PDF, press Ctrl+F and type your name — your entry prints your roll number alongside your name, so the roll number is recovered from the list itself. Remember to check the correct list: male candidates are in the 551-name list and female candidates in the 66-name list that follows it.

Checked by roll number instead? That also works — every entry carries the roll number, so Ctrl+F with your 7-digit roll number will land on the same entry. If neither your name nor your roll number is found in either list, it means your name is not in the final merit list of 617 candidates for this cycle.

NDA 1 Final Result 2026 Toppers

The first names in each list — the NDA 1 final result 2026 toppers — are printed below exactly as they appear in the official UPSC merit list, with their roll numbers. Note the official spelling of the male topper’s name: it is ISHAAN PACHAURI, with a double A.

Male merit list — top 3.

Female merit list — top 3.

The female merit list contains 66 names in total — the complete list of women candidates who qualified on written plus SSB merit in this cycle. Full details of every candidate, at every merit position, are in the official PDF linked above.

What Happens Next After the NDA 1 Final Result 2026

Your candidature is provisional — certificates go to Army Headquarters, not to UPSC. UPSC has stated that the candidature of all the candidates in the merit list is provisional, subject to their submitting the requisite certificates in support of their claims — date of birth, educational qualifications and the like. Wherever this has not already been done, the certificates must be submitted directly to the Additional Directorate General of Recruiting, Adjutant General’s Branch, Integrated Headquarters, Ministry of Defence (Army), West Block No. III, Wing–I, R.K. Puram, New Delhi-110066. Read that again: the result notice directs candidates to send the certificates to Army Headquarters and not to the Union Public Service Commission. Sending them to UPSC, or waiting for UPSC to ask for them, is the one mistake a selected candidate must not make now.

Changed your address? Intimate Army Headquarters directly. The notice also requires candidates to promptly intimate any change in their address directly to the same Army Headquarters address given above. All further communication about joining will travel to the address the services hold for you.

The medical examination is still pending — what “not taken into account” means. UPSC’s words are that “the results of Medical Examination have not been taken into account in preparing these lists.” In plain terms: this merit list ranks you only on the written examination plus the SSB interview. Your medical fitness has not been factored in at all. A merit position therefore does not by itself guarantee a seat in the course — a candidate who is found medically unfit in the services’ medical process can still lose the seat, and candidates below them in merit can move up. Treat your selection as real but not final until the medical and document stages are cleared.

Course commencement — 1 January 2027. The courses begin on 1 January 2027: the 157th Course at the National Defence Academy (Army, Navy and Air Force wings) and the 119th Indian Naval Academy Course (INAC), as stated in UPSC’s written result press note of 8 May 2026 and the examination notice. The final result notice does not repeat the date; instead it directs candidates to the Ministry of Defence websites for the date of commencement of the courses and joining information: joinindianarmy.nic.in, joinindiannavy.gov.in and careerindianairforce.cdac.in. Watch the website of the service you are headed to.

Where to ask for help. Candidates can contact the UPSC Facilitation Counter on the Commission’s campus on working days between 10:00 AM and 05:30 PM, or the Candidate’s Helpdesk on 011-24041001 and 011-40303444 (09:00 AM to 08:00 PM, all days). For SSB and service-specific queries, the result notice gives: Army — 011-26175473 or joinindianarmy.nic.in; Navy / Naval Academy — 011-23010097, officer-navy@nic.in or joinindiannavy.gov.in; Air Force — 011-23010231 Extn. 7645 / 7646 / 7610 or careerindianairforce.cdac.in.

NDA 1 Result 2026 Marks and Cut-off: When Will They Be Released?

Candidates searching for the NDA 1 cut-off 2026 should know the official position first. The final result notice states the marks rule in one sentence: the result is available on the UPSC website, but the marks of the candidates will be available on the website after 15 days from the date of declaration of the final results. Counted from 5 November 2026, that means the marks are expected on upsc.gov.in after 20 November 2026. The cut-off marks are published by UPSC along with the marks, under the examination’s standing marks rule.

Two things follow. First, no candidate can see their marks today — neither the 617 in the merit list nor those who did not make it. Second, no cut-off figures exist yet: the final result notice declares no cut-off of any kind, so any “NDA 1 final cut-off 2026” number circulating on websites or social media right now is unofficial and does not come from UPSC. This page will be updated when the Commission uploads the official marks and cut-off on upsc.gov.in.

Written Result vs Final Result: What Is the Difference?

Much of the confusion around “NDA 1 result 2026” comes from the fact that UPSC declares two results for the same examination, months apart. The written result of 8 May 2026 was only a shortlist: it named the candidates who had cleared the written examination of 12 April 2026 and were eligible to appear before the Services Selection Board for the interview stage. It carried no merit positions and selected nobody for a course. The final result of 5 November 2026 is a different document: it is the final merit list of 617 candidates, arranged in order of merit on the combined performance in the written examination and the SSB interview. If a website or an old PDF shows you a May 2026 list, that is the SSB shortlist — the list that decides selection is the November one linked in this article.

Important Links

Contact for result queries (as given in the official notice). UPSC Candidate’s Helpdesk: 011-24041001 / 011-40303444 (09:00 AM – 08:00 PM, all days).

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Is the NDA 1 2026 result out?

Yes. UPSC declared the final result of the National Defence Academy and Naval Academy Examination (I), 2026 on 5 November 2026. The final merit list of 617 candidates — based on the written examination held on 12 April 2026 and the SSB interviews that followed — is available on upsc.gov.in, and the direct PDF link is given in this article.

How many candidates have been selected in the UPSC NDA 1 Final Result 2026?

A total of 617 candidates have qualified in order of merit — 551 in the male merit list and 66 in the female merit list. The merit list is based on the written examination (12 April 2026) and SSB interview performance; medical examination results have not been taken into account, and candidature is provisional.

How can I check the NDA 1 final result name wise?

Download the official merit list PDF from upsc.gov.in (direct link given in this article) and press Ctrl+F to search your name. The PDF is itself a name wise list — it prints the serial number, roll number and name of every qualified candidate in order of merit, with separate lists for male (S.No. 1–551) and female (S.No. 1–66) candidates. No login or password is needed.

I have forgotten my roll number — how can I check my result?

Use the name wise merit list. Open the official PDF, press Ctrl+F and type your name as spelt in your application. Your entry shows your roll number printed next to your name, so you can recover the roll number from the list itself. Check the correct list — male candidates are in the 551-name list and female candidates in the 66-name list that follows it.

Who are the toppers of NDA 1 Final Result 2026?

In the male merit list, ISHAAN PACHAURI (Roll No. 7943704) is first, followed by AARSH KUKREJA and KAUSTAV BAUNTHIYAL. In the female merit list, SHREYA N GOWDA (Roll No. 0344615) is first, followed by AVIKA SHARMA and RAJSHREE RAI. Names and spellings are as printed in the official UPSC merit list.

When will the NDA 1 2026 marks and cut-off be released?

UPSC has stated that the marks of the candidates will be available on upsc.gov.in after 15 days from the date of declaration of the final result — counted from 5 November 2026, that means after 20 November 2026. The cut-off marks are published along with the marks. No cut-off figures exist today, and any number circulating before the official upload is unofficial.

Are the medical examination results included in the final merit list?

No. UPSC has clearly stated that the results of the Medical Examination have not been taken into account in preparing this merit list. The list is based only on the written examination and the SSB interview. A place in the merit list is therefore provisional — final selection also depends on medical fitness and document verification.

Where do I send my certificates after selection?

Not to UPSC. Certificates in support of date of birth and educational qualifications must be sent directly to the Additional Directorate General of Recruiting, Adjutant General’s Branch, Integrated Headquarters, Ministry of Defence (Army), West Block No. III, Wing–I, R.K. Puram, New Delhi-110066, wherever this has not already been done. Any change of address must also be intimated to the same office promptly.

When does the NDA 157th Course start?

The 157th Course of the National Defence Academy and the 119th Indian Naval Academy Course (INAC) commence on 1 January 2027, as stated in UPSC’s written result press note. For course joining details, candidates should check the Ministry of Defence websites — joinindianarmy.nic.in, joinindiannavy.gov.in and careerindianairforce.cdac.in.

My name is not in the merit list — what does it mean and what should I do next?

It means you are not among the 617 candidates in the final merit list prepared on the basis of the written examination and SSB interview for this cycle, and the result notice provides no re-checking route for the final result. You will still be able to see your marks on upsc.gov.in after 15 days from the declaration of the final result, which will show exactly where you stand. Candidates who remain eligible can prepare for the next NDA and NA examination cycle notified by UPSC.

For more exam results and daily updates, browse the Results section of New Sarkari Results. All details above are taken from the official UPSC final result press note dated 5 November 2026 and Examination Notice No. 3/2026-NDA-I published on upsc.gov.in — candidates must verify the final details on the official website upsc.gov.in before acting on them.

Written by Ravi Singh

Ravi Singh is the Editor (Government Jobs) at New Sarkari Results, an independent information portal for Sarkari Result, Sarkari Naukri, admit card, answer key, syllabus and admission updates. He has 10+ years of experience covering Government Jobs, Railway Jobs, SSC, Banking, Teaching, Police, Defence and state recruitment boards. Every update on this site is verified directly from the official notification PDF issued by the commission or board — never from third-party aggregators.